The present invention, Iris ‘Mainestream Spring’, relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Iris, botanically known as an Iris hybrid, more specifically an interspecific Iris hybrid, and is hereinafter referred to as ‘Mainestream Spring’.
The inventor discovered the new cultivar, ‘Mainestream Spring’, in a seedling bed in her nursery in Parkman, Me. in 1993. The seedlings in the bed were derived from seed collected from open pollinated plants of Iris ‘Orville Fay’ (unpatented), a cultivar of Siberian Iris (hybrid origin). ‘Mainestream Spring’ was initially selected as one of 8 seedlings that exhibited the unique characteristic of having spring foliage that emerged gold in color and later turned green as the season progressed. On further observation, it became apparent that the selected seedlings were interspecifc hybrids, with an unnamed plant of Iris versicolor growing next to the pod parent as the apparent pollen parent. The selected seedlings were observed to have the plant habit, growth habit, and flowering stem branching more typical of the pollen parent, Iris versicolor, and flowers that combined the characteristics of the pollen and pod parent in terms of form, size, color, and markings. The 8 seedlings evaluated could be distinguished from one another in several aspects, including plant height, degree of yellow coloration to the foliage and flower coloration. ‘Mainestream Spring’ was selected from the group of seedlings as unique for its large blue flowers borne on branched flower stems, its vigorous growth habit, and its gold spring foliage.
The closest comparison other than the sibling of ‘Mainestream Spring’, ‘Mainestream Tempest’ is Iris ‘Neidenstein’, an Iris selected in Germany and determined to be a interspecific hybrid between a Siberian Iris ‘Niklassee’ (unpatented) and Iris versicolor ‘Claret Cup’ (unpatented). ‘Mainestream Spring’ differs from ‘Neidenstein’ in flower color and by having wider foliage, and greater overall vigor. ‘Mainestream Spring’ differs from ‘Mainestream Tempest’ primarily in having lavender blue flowers whereas ‘Mainestream Tempest’ has purple flowers and in having more intensely colored gold foliage in spring.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by rhizome division in 1994 in Parkman, Me. by the discoverer. The characteristics of the new cultivar have been determined to be stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.